Kate -
I began carving/whittling as a teenager. I saved up my money and bought a
3-bladed Schrade "Old Timer". From the numerous scars on my fingers, you
really shouldn't use a non-locking folder for carving. I did a *lot* of
stuff with this knife (and its replacements). I also had a few X-acto
knives for making model planes and rockets. It wasn't until I bought my
own home that I began buying power tools. A friend of mine from work was a
*serious* knife maker. I wanted to try my habd at it so I bought an
inexpensive drill press andd belt sander (Sears 8" and 4x36). I also asked
for and got a manual compound miter saw. Desperation breeds inspiration.
I made many, many projects with just these few power/hand tools: boxes,
knife handles, pistol grips, etc. With tax returns, I was able to buy a
few more tools, an inexpensive table saw, router with table, Dremmel Moto-
tool, and small stuff like clamps, bits and so forth. A lot of what you
need depends upon what you want to do. 100 years ago (or maybe less)
people were doing amazing things without power - just by hand. I did chip
carving like you've done with just a pocket knife. Power tools let you
expand your horizons in both the projects you can easily do, as well as the
materials you can easily work with (did you notice the word *easily*?).